{"id":375425,"date":"2018-05-11T13:51:41","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T18:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-equitable-distribution-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-05-18T17:24:31","modified_gmt":"2018-05-18T22:24:31","slug":"north-carolina-equitable-distribution-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-equitable-distribution-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Equitable Distribution Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">North Carolina Equitable Distribution Laws<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    <p><i>Created by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw&#8217;s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n                | Last reviewed\n        <time>\n                            May 18, 2018\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n<p>While the issues of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/family\/child-custody\/child-custody-basics.html\" target=\"_blank\">child custody<\/a> and child support may be some of the most difficult issues to tackle during a divorce, dividing property can also be very difficult for soon-to-be exes. In dividing property, a minority of states follow the &quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/family\/divorce\/community-property-overview.html\" target=\"_blank\">community property<\/a>&quot; method of division, while the rest generally follow the &quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/equitable-distribution.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">equitable distribution<\/a>&quot; method of division. North Carolina, like the majority of states, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/family\/divorce\/divorce-property-division-faq.html\" target=\"_blank\">divides property<\/a> based on equitable distribution.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Classification of Property<\/h2>\r\n<p>In proceedings for property division, North Carolina classifies property as marital property, divisible property, or separate property. Each type of property is generally categorized as follows:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><i>Marital Property<\/i>: all real and personal property acquired by either spouse or both spouses during the marriage that isn&#39;t classified as divisible property or separate property.<\/li>\r\n<li><i>Divisible Property<\/i>: a variety of real and personal property that is acquired or received after the date of separation and prior to the date of property distribution.<\/li>\r\n<li><i>Separate Property<\/i>: all real and personal property acquired by a spouse before marriage, and any inheritance or gift acquired by a spouse during the marriage. Of note, if the gift is from one spouse to the other, it will only be considered separate property if such an intention is stated.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Please note that the property defined above is not a complete list, but you can find such a list contained in North Carolina General Statutes Section 50-20(b). Once the court determines which property falls into which category, it will then provide for an equitable distribution of marital and divisible property.<\/p>\r\n<h2>North Carolina Equitable Distribution Laws at a Glance<\/h2>\r\n<p>There&#39;s no question that it&#39;s important to read the actual text of a statute when conducting legal research. But it can also be beneficial to read a summary of the statute in plain English to supplement your understanding of what a law says. In the chart below, you&#39;ll find an overview of North Carolina equitable distribution laws, and links to relevant statutes.<\/p>\r\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"7\" border=\"1\">\r\n<tbody><tr><td><b>Statute(s)<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><p>North Carolina General Statutes Sections <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/nc\/chapter-50-divorce-and-alimony\/nc-gen-st-sect-50-20.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50-20<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/nc\/chapter-50-divorce-and-alimony\/nc-gen-st-sect-50-21.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">50-21<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><td><b>Factors to Determine Equitable Distribution of Property<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td><p>Generally, the court will divide martial property and divisible property equally (based on the net value of each type of property). However, if equal division would not be equitable, the court will consider a variety of factors* to determine how to make the division of property equitable including:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The income, property, and liabilities of each party at the time the division of property would become effective.<\/li>\r\n<li>Any spousal supports from a previous marriage.<\/li>\r\n<li>The length of the marriage, and the age, physical health, and mental health of both spouses.<\/li>\r\n<li>The expectation of deferred compensation rights (i.e. pension or retirement) that aren&#39;t marital property.<\/li>\r\n<li>Any contribution (direct or indirect) made by one spouse to help educate or develop the career potential of the other spouse.<\/li>\r\n<li>The liquidity of all marital property and divisible property.<\/li>\r\n<li>The tax consequences to each party.<\/li>\r\n<li>Any other factor the court deems is &quot;just and proper.&quot;<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>*For a complete and more detailed list of factors, please see Section 50-20(c).<\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><tr><td><p><b>Related Statute(s)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td><p>North Carolina General Statutes<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/nc\/chapter-50-divorce-and-alimony\/nc-gen-st-sect-50-41.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 50-41<\/a>, et seq. (<i>North Carolina Family Law Arbitration Act<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/nc\/chapter-50-divorce-and-alimony\/nc-gen-st-sect-50-70.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 50-70<\/a>, et seq. (<i>Collaborative Law Proceedings<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\r\n<p><i><b>Note:<\/b> State laws are always subject to change through the passage of new legislation, rulings in the higher courts (including federal decisions), ballot initiatives, and other means. While we strive to provide the most current information available, please consult an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.<\/i><\/p>\r\n<h2>North Carolina Equitable Distribution Laws: Related Resources<\/h2>\r\n<p>For more information and resources related to this topic, you can visit the links below:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-marital-property-laws.html\" target=\"_blank\">North Carolina Marital Property Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-legal-requirements-for-divorce.html\" target=\"_blank\">North Carolina Divorce Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-family-laws.html\" target=\"_blank\">North Carolina Family Laws<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Talk to an Attorney About North Carolina Equitable Distribution Laws<\/h2>\r\n<p>If you&#39;re thinking about filing for divorce, or have already filed for divorce, it&#39;s a good idea to contact a North Carolina <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/divorce\/north-carolina\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">divorce lawyer<\/a> who can explain how North Carolina equitable distribution laws affect your particular situation.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i 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<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FindLaw&#8217;s primer on equitable distribution laws in North Carolina. Find out more about this and similar topics at FindLaw&#8217;s North Carolina Family Laws section.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41135,"featured_media":0,"parent":375363,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"app\/Http\/Controllers\/Templates\/ArticleWithBreadcrumbsController.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":true,"_modified_date":"","_autodraft_ids":[],"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_show_comment_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","_is_real_time_mode":false,"_realtime_collaborators":"","footnotes":"","cf_checklist_status":[]},"categories":[2743],"tags":[],"state_laws_tags":[3276],"flmsa":[],"class_list":["post-375425","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-state","state_laws_tags-statelaws_34_2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375425\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375425"},{"taxonomy":"state_laws_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state_laws_tags?post=375425"},{"taxonomy":"flmsa","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/law-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/flmsa?post=375425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}